Zen Lofts, 42 Camden St: A 35-Suite Concrete Loft Off King West

Zen Lofts is the building I suggest when a buyer wants the King West loft look but cannot face the drafty windows and quirks of a converted warehouse. It is a 2006 concrete building with only 35 suites, on a short side street a block from King. That small size is both its best feature and the thing you need to understand before you buy. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A new-build loft, not a conversion

Camden Street is lined with loft buildings, and most buyers assume they are all old factories. Zen Lofts is not. It was built new by Harhay Developments and finished in 2006, designed to look and feel like a hard loft while being a modern concrete building underneath.

Listing descriptions here consistently mention exposed concrete columns and ceilings, wide warehouse-style windows, hardwood floors and custom sliding doors in place of standard swing doors. That is the loft look most people are after, without the original single-pane windows, uneven floors and century-old plumbing that some conversions bring.

I could not confirm the architect or exact ceiling heights from a source I trust. Listings describe the ceilings as high, but if a specific height matters to you, measure it at the showing or ask for the plan.

Thirty-five suites changes the maths

With nine storeys and only 35 suites, this is a true boutique building, often with just a few suites per floor. You know your neighbours, the elevator is rarely busy, and the lobby does not feel like a hotel.

The other side of that is cost sharing. Every repair, from the roof to the garage to the elevator, is split among 35 owners rather than 300. A healthy reserve fund matters more here than in a large tower, and a single large expense can move fees or lead to a special assessment more quickly. I am not aware of one at this building; the status certificate is where you find out.

Governance is personal in a building this size. The board is drawn from a small pool of owners, so a few engaged people make most of the decisions. Ask how often the board meets, read the last year of minutes, and look for signs of disputes or unresolved repairs.

Small buildings also trade rarely. When I checked there was one suite for sale and none for lease, so comparables are thin, and you should expect to wait for the right plan to come up.

Layouts from compact one-bedrooms to large lofts

Condos.ca puts the suite range at about 530 to 1,805 sq ft. At the bottom you get open one-bedroom lofts; at the top, very large suites that are closer to a house in usable space. Listing descriptions mention extra-wide, open-concept living areas, which is typical of the loft format and makes furniture placement easier than in a narrow tower suite.

Because it is a newer concrete build rather than a conversion, you should expect sealed modern windows and a conventional mechanical system, not the radiators and single-pane glass of an old factory. Still ask how each suite is heated and cooled, whether there is a fan coil or heat pump in the suite, and when it was last serviced, since that equipment is often the owner’s responsibility.

The thing to check in a loft plan is the bedroom. Some suites in loft buildings have sleeping areas closed off by sliding panels rather than full walls and a window. Read the plan carefully and look at where the natural light actually falls before assuming a bedroom is a bedroom in the legal sense.

Living on Camden Street

Camden is a short street a block north of King, between Spadina and Brant, and it is noticeably calmer than King or Richmond. You walk to the King West restaurant strip in minutes and to the financial district on foot, but come home to a side street of brick lofts rather than the bar crowd.

Your neighbours on the street include Camden Lofts at 29 Camden and the building at 50 Camden, so if you like this one, look at those too. They give you a useful comparison of a converted loft against a new-build one on the same block.

What Zen Lofts costs, and what the fee covers

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $833 per square foot. That is a little below what newer King West towers command, and in line with other loft buildings in the area, which tells you buyers price the boutique, older-stock nature of the building in.

With only one active listing when I checked, I will not quote an asking price; a single listing does not tell you what the building is worth. If you are thinking of buying or selling here, the building sold report is the better starting point.

The fee structure is a genuine strength. Common elements, building insurance, water, heat and parking are all included, according to condos.ca. Heat and parking are often separate charges in newer downtown buildings, so when you compare fees, add those back to the other building before deciding which is cheaper. Hydro and internet are on you.

Building specifications

Amenities at Zen Lofts

There is no gym, pool or party room listed; the amenity list is essentially an elevator, a parking garage, a security system and permission for barbecues. That keeps fees down and suits owners who already belong to a gym and treat King West as their amenity floor.

Jatin’s honest take on Zen Lofts

Zen Lofts — frequently asked questions

Looking at King West, Liberty Village and CityPlace more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.